Along with our excellent public schools, superb parks and recreation system, and vibrant arts culture, Ridgefield is advantaged by a local business community, the diversity and creativity of which is the envy of many towns our size. Ridgefield is widely recognized for its great restaurants, fine spirits shops and delightful specialty food stores. Frequently overlooked, however, is that Ridgefield also boasts an impressive collection of local retailors offering unexpectedly broad selections of products and services.
Local businesses contribute greatly to our town by offering desired products and services at fair prices, by creating jobs, by paying taxes, and by merely existing as unique establishments that reflect their proprietors’ own sensibilities and ambitions. Additionally, many local businesses contribute philanthropically by sponsoring youth activities, underwriting cultural events and venues, supporting education and scholarship programs, donating food and basic necessities, and in myriad other small and large ways. These are all good and sufficient reasons to shop locally. However, one of the best reasons to do so is because spending locally is economically advantageous to the purchaser even without other benefits.
In our Internet-centric shopping era, the direct advantages of local shopping are reflexively, but unwisely, overlooked. Shoppers instinctively focus on “sale prices”; such focus is usually disadvantageous, however, because “sale prices” almost always exclude other significant costs. If receiving the “sale price” means an otherwise unnecessary trip to a big box store, you need to factor in your time (at least 2 hours) and your fuel consumption. These costs are avoided when you shop locally. If taking advantage of a “sale price” means a several hundred pound piece of equipment or furniture will be left in a massive crate blocking the entry to your driveway, you need to factor in the costs and logistical nightmare of uncrating it, disposing of the packaging, and moving it into place – costs and nightmare the local retailer will spare you since her/his price includes placement of the unpacked item in your desired space. When all the additional costs that accompany “sale prices” are accounted, the advantages of shopping locally become quickly obvious.
Local benefits are also present when entertaining or patronizing restaurants. From the convenient, money-saving attributes of downtown restaurants, to their frequent use of local purveyors, culinary breadth, price point diversity, and the jobs they create, Ridgefield’s dining establishments not only delight us, but also support us.
In his remarks on Sunday, April 28, at the 3rd Annual Ridgefield Chili Festival, an event celebrating Ridgefield restaurants and food culture, First Selectman Rudy Marconi encouraged guests to patronize the participating establishments: Ancient Mariner, Bernard’s Restaurant & Sarah’s Wine Bar, Bissell House, Little Pub, Southwest Cafe, The Cake Box and Cellar XV Wine Market. Mr. Marconi discussed how small businesses contribute to our town’s character and vitality, and he urged residents to shop locally and support all of our local businesses. Buy local. Dine local. Order in local. You’ll love it.
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The author is Vice Chair of the Ridgefield Democratic Town Committee, which supplies this column.